As far as I can tell, there doesn't seem to be a place where we can meet and talk about gender issues without one opinion or the other getting gratuitous downvoting, which obviously stifles conversation. I'd like that to change, but I'm not sure how to do that.

I just discovered that I've apparently been banned from /r/AskFeminists although I don't remember ever posting there. I don't get it.

Not to seem unnecessarilyj combative, but why? I feel like there's this expectation that posters go to AskFeminists expecting the few feminists there to have all the answers about everything. Then comes the game to prove them wrong. I mean, if you're asking specifically what a feminist's perspective on men's issues is then fine, but idk why? Like, how is it relevant?

"Recently there's been a lot of back and forth between r/mensrights and the various feminist and women's subreddits. A lot of people have been speaking up on either side, with quite a few of us in the middle wishing that common ground could be found - and tempers settle down. We've seen the consequences of this spill into r/feminism here, in ways which I would like to address. I have seen an increasing imbalance in the amount of feminist discussion of the issues vs outside discussion taking place in here.

This is actually not a new dilemma faced by gender subreddits - the same thing was happening on r/twoXchromosomes a while back. They were getting flooded by posts from men asking for a woman's perspective or opinion on something, or asking women to explain themselves and their behaviors or ways of thinking. It was overwhelming the purpose of that forum as a space for primarily women to gather and discuss issues related to being female.

Their solution may also be our solution. They created a separate space for such discussion - a subreddit called r/AskWomen. That way, nobody was being silenced and discussion was not being stifled, but the primary purpose of r/twoXchromosomes could be preserved without being overwhelmed by other content.

So I have created a subreddit called r/AskFeminists. It is intended to fill basically the same role - it is a space for those outside the feminist movement to engage feminists in discussion. Ask us questions, give us feedback, request our perspective on particular issues, give us your perspective on particular issues, or any other respectful and non-antagonistic discussion which you would like to create. Keep such discussions in their correct forums, and allow the focus of r/feminism to remain a feminist discussion of women's issues.

I feel it may also be helpful to provide a sense of where I am coming from personally in regards to this issue. I am a feminist because I believe in women's rights, and that there are systemic injustices that happen to women in our society - injustices that need to be called out and countered. That being said, I also consider myself to be a gender egalitarian, and I am very sympathetic to issues of men's equality as well. I realize that feminism has helped to change many things about our society, and that there are real and systematic issues facing men in our world. And I don't want to shy away from that, but I do feel that the criticisms that some within the men's rights movement have of feminism (whether it be here on reddit or elsewhere) are beginning to overshadow serious women's topics and issues. And I have talked to many MRAs and I know that they are sympathetic to many women's issues, and that most simply are seeking acknowledgment that their issues are real and worthy as well.

So instead, I am seeking a compromise, so that those of you who wish to discuss the ways that feminism interacts with men's issues can do so, without overwhelming or subverting the purposes of this subreddit as a space for feminists primarily to gather and discuss with other feminists. I would like everyone's voices to be heard, but I would like this to take place in the correct forums, without overwhelming the purposes of this space.

I am hoping that the men's rights activists and others from outside the feminist movement within this space can understand and sympathize with my concerns here. As a redditor, I place it as a priority that everyone's voices should be heard, and the best ideas should triumph in a free marketplace of ideas and discussion. But as a moderator, I hope to keep this subreddit on-topic and relevant, and maintain this as a space where feminists can connect and discuss with each other about feminism. I am concerned that the gender imbalance on reddit may threaten to overwhelm the ratio of feminists within this space. And I am hopeful that the best way to satisfy the interests of each, is to create a space to engage feminists in such discussion, and to trust each of you to voluntarily direct your comments and participation to the most suitable subreddit."